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LAURENCE MACKIN  with suggestions for books to travel with.

The Lizard Cage

Karen Connelly

Vintage, £7.99 in UK

Teza is a Burmese student, jailed in the early 1990s for writing and singing songs critical of the regime of Gen Ne Win, then its leader.

With 13 years left of his sentence, Teza relies on his intelligence and compassion to deal with the horrendous conditions. Fleeting relief comes in the shape of a sympathetic jailer and a young orphan who lives in the prison, and from the packages from his mother that he gnaws at for meaning and news from the outside.

This is a harsh, often difficult book on what it means to be a political prisoner. It is written with authority and compassionate, lyrical prose, and the shafts of Buddhist philosophy that light up Teza's miserable existence expose the fragility of his life and the futility of the Burmese rulers' policies. This is not a book to make you want to rush to Burma, but it will open your eyes to a country in peril, thanks to the battering of last week's cyclone, among other natural disasters, and the junta.

The Rough Guide to China

Rough Guides,

£18.99 in UK

Much like Burma, China remains mysterious for most travellers, thanks to its size.

As it prepares for a controversial hosting of the Olympic Games, China is becoming a destination of choice. From the staggering scenery of Tiger Leaping Gorge, Tai Shan and the Silk Road and the fascination of Beijing and Hong Kong to the man-made wonders of the Great Wall and the Terracotta Army, there is enough to spend a lifetime enjoying. This guide, a worthy starting point, includes a controversial, if very useful, chapter on visiting Tibet.

© 2008 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times